If you’ve recently received a scary-sounding law enforcement phone call, chances are you’re speaking with a scammer.
Agassiz RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Mike Sargent said there’s been a recent uptick in bogus calls from Canada Border Services, targeting just about anyone.
Sargent said the most recent scam on the rise is when a fake Border Services agent calls a potential victim, saying they have intercepted a package for them that contains illicit materials such as drugs. This could be especially concerning during the holidays when packages and mail are hitting a yearly peak. Some scammers pose as Canada Revenue Agency representatives and employees of Service Canada.
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“Nobody’s exempt from these calls,” Sargent said, adding that he gets them on his phone as well.
Locally, there’s an average of one report per month of people falling victim to these scams.
“A lot of times, if you have given money and then found out after the fact, there are a lot of people who feel ashamed. They don’t want anybody to know what’s happened,” Sargent said. “They just kind of deal with it and move on.”
However, Sargent advised it’s a good idea to inform local police so they can do a basic investigation and more could potentially be done to recover money with the victim’s bank.
Although phone calls are the more prolific scam-related concern locally, Sargent said people should still be on the lookout for suspicious ads on social media, particularly forms that ask for sensitive financial or personal information.
Sargent said much of the scamming comes from phone calls from outside Canada, which complicates investigations and convictions.
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“The biggest thing for us basically is what we’re doing right now – we’re trying to create that awareness and education,” he added.
If you suspect a phone call of being a scam, contact the RCMP. Do not provide potential scammers with sensitive information such as bank account information, Social Insurance numbers and passwords. If you have given out that information, change your passwords and notify your bank. In the event you’ve given out your Social Insurance number, contact Service Canada so they can monitor it for suspicious activity.
“No government agency will normally ask for payment in the form of gift cards, or iTunes cards, gaming cards, anything like that,” Sargent said. “Anytime you’re asked for that, that’s a good indication that it’s not quite legit.”
Sargent added government agencies will typically send a letter or some other documentation through the mail rather than call on the phone.
If you suspect a scam or have fallen victim to a scam, contact the local RCMP at 604-796-2211 or call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. If someone claims to be from a particular agency, hang up and call the agency directly.